Szumowska graduated from the film college in 1998 and made her debut feature film Szczęśliwy człowiek (Happy Man) in 2001. The film was nominated to The European Film Award and Szumowska became a member of the European Film Academy in the same year.  The plot explores complicated relationships among three people facing enormous difficulties who nonetheless strive to achieve happiness, or, at least, steer clear of tragedy.

In 2005 Szumowska made a short film Ojciec (Father), one of thirteen contemporary stories written by Polish film Directors to celebrate Solidarity which made up the film Solidarność, Solidarność (Solidarity, Solidarity). Based on her father’s experiences, Szumowska's film uses archival footage from his documentaries.

Szumowska is the daughter of journalists Maciej Szumowski and Dorota Terakowska and the sister of Wojciech Szumowski, a documentary film Director. She has been married to actor Mateusz Kościukiewicz since 2012. They have one daughter Alina born on 3 December 2012. She has a son Maciej from a previous relationship with the Editor Jacek Drosio.

Her 2013 film In the Name Of received the Teddy Award for Best Feature at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival, and received the Grand Prix at the 32nd annual Istanbul Film Festival. Her film Body was selected to be screened in the main competition section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival. Szumowska won the Silver Bear for Best Director for Body. In 2018, she received Jury Grand Prix at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival for her film Mug.

Szumowska spent two years studying history of art at the Jagiellonian University before she started film studies.  Szumowska graduated from the celebrated film college in Łódź, which boasts such alumni as Andrzej Wajda, Roman Polański or Krzysztof Kieślowski.  As a student, Szumowska made a short which was ranked 14th in the history of Łódź Film School. Cisza (Silence) is a short documentary film in which Szumowska tried to capture a simple life of a Polish rural family.

Szumowska worked also as a co-producer of Antichrist, Lars von Trier’s horror film released in 2009. In 2011, she completed her international project, Elles, starring Juliette Binoche. The worldwide première of Elles took place at Toronto International Film Festival.  It tells the story of Anne, a Parisian Journalist investigating prostitution among the students. Her research takes her to two girls, Charlotte and Alice, whose lives differ greatly from her own. They let her discover a world which she finds both repulsive and seductive.